AN/ FYI, There were two updates yesterday...if you don't know who the home intruder was, go back one chapter.

Elsie and Charles left Phyllis in their cottage the next morning with strict instructions to stay put through the day. She was not even to open any of the windows or curtains. Charles voiced his concerns once more as they approached the house. They were still taking the long way around, avoiding the garden where Lady Flintshire was killed.

"How am I supposed to face her? She'll see right through me." He worried.

"Leave her to me. I'll keep Mrs. Butte busy today." Elsie promised. "You just go about your business as usual."

"Easier said than done." He pouted as they arrived at the servant's door. "The police will still be about today and they will want to talk to me."

"So?"

"You expect me to lie to them?"

Elsie saw his point. "Don't lie to them, just don't tell them everything."

"Brilliant, love. Why didn't I think of that?"

-00-

Breakfast was a tense affair. Everyone had been told about O'Brien the night before, but there were still questions. Mr. Carson tried to squash the talk, but failed miserably. He was too distracted by Mrs. Butte sitting to his left to act naturally. When the bells began to ring, he jumped up from his seat and all but ran to the stairs.

"Oh, excuse me!" Charles had plowed into someone coming out of the kitchen. He looked down to see Nellie clutching a plate of fresh toast to her chest.

"Nellie! How many times do I have to tell you to use the other door?" Mrs. Patmore yelled from the kitchen. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother speaking at all. It's not as though anyone's listening!" Beryl trailed off as she continued ranting into the pantry.

Checking that none of the crumbs had contaminated him, Carson looked down at the tiny, flustered kitchen maid. She's so innocent looking, he thought. Feeling a deep pity for the girl. There's no way she knows what her mother has done. This thought gave Carson an idea.

"Don't worry, Nellie. No harm done." He smiled benevolently. "I know, Mrs. Patmore is very pleased with your work. Most of the time."

"Thank you, Mr. Carson." The girl muttered, unable to look him in the eye.

"In fact, Mrs. Carson and I wanted to speak to you to make sure you are settling in well. With all the strange happenings, we've not had the chance to talk to you as we usually do with new staff."

Nellie did look up now and she looked terrified.

"There's nothing to be alarmed about, child. We just want to be sure you're happy here. If you could spare a few moments later this morning, I would be grateful."

Elsie had come up behind them. She immediately discerned what her husband had in mind and jumped in to help. "I'll speak to Mrs. Patmore and make sure she can spare you."

-00-

Nellie nibbled at the biscuit as she sat before the imposing, unified front of housekeeper and butler. They were both smiling kindly, but they were still undeniably the authorities of the house.

"I hope Madge has been a pleasant roommate." Mrs. Carson prompted.

"Oh, yes. She and I get along very well. She's actually shared my bed the past few nights, the business with Lady Flintshire has her that scared."

"But it doesn't scare you?" Carson asked.

"I tried to make her see that these things happen. I suppose we're more used to them in London."

"Do you miss London?" Mrs. Carson asked.

"A little. I miss Clive more than anything."

"Your brother?" Carson answered his wife's unasked question. "Have you heard from him since you came to Yorkshire?"

"No, nor am I likely to. He writes to Mum."

"He was in the war, wasn't he? I remember your mother saying." Carson tried to make small talk. Anything they could learn about Mrs. Butte could be helpful.

"Aye, he was hurt bad in the South of France." She didn't want to talk about Clive's opium habit.

"We owe him a debt." Mrs. Carson said kindly. "What does he do?"

"Odd jobs, but he's not too reliable. Mum left him in charge of the house after Gran died and she was offered a position here. She sends him money."

"I was sorry to hear about your Grandmother. I understand she was an invalid." Mrs. Carson's gentle smile helped Nellie relax despite the topic.

"Oh, she was fine physically, we just couldn't leave her alone or she might wander off. Sometimes she was as smart as a whip, but her grasp on reality wasn't too strong."

"If your work here is any proof, she was well looked after." The compliment from the stogy butler encouraged Nellie to speak more freely.

"She wasn't any problem. She used to read her Penny Dreadfuls to me in the afternoons when I brought her tea. I can see the person she used to be."

"What changed her, if I may ask?" Mrs. Carson poured more tea for Nellie.

"It was Grandpa's death. Some toughs from the neighborhood tried to shake him down. It got carried away and he died. Gran saw the whole thing. That was long before I was born."

"How awful," Mrs. Carson exclaimed. "Did they ever catch the men?"

"Most of them are locked up or dead now, but not because of what they did to Grandpa. They were part of the local gang. Everyone knew the Hoxton boys did it, but there was no proof in this case."

"Hoxton?" Charles gulped his tea and looked at Elsie.

"Grandpa's shop was in their pitch." Nellie said innocently, her attention on the plate of biscuits as she chose her next.

"Did you hear about the business with Miss Baxter?" Elsie asked the girl. She wondered if she knew about Phyllis' connection to the Hoxton name.

"I heard she shot a detective and drowned. Mum says every cloud has a silver lining. I'm sorry those people died, but it's allowed Mum and me to be together here in Yorkshire." The girl beamed. "I'm so glad I decided to come."

"Before you knew that your mother would be joining you here, were you apprehensive about coming?"

"I was, but Mum tried to put my mind at ease."

"She certainly made a point of visiting you more often." Carson observed. "She was home the night Miss Baxter shot that detective, I believe?"

Elsie shot him a look that said he'd pushed too far.

Though Nellie looked confused at the question, she thought about it carefully. "This was a few days before Gran died and Mum knew she was coming to Yorkshire? Yes, I think she was home that night. She didn't eat dinner with us, said her job kept her late. She must've come in after we went to sleep, but she was there for breakfast, which was a nice surprise." Smiling again, Nellie rushed to reiterate her gratefulness for being at Downton. "I really do enjoy my work here. It's fun to cook when you have so many ingredients at your disposal." She was used to making a meal from scraps and cheap cuts of meat.

"Well, we're very glad to have you here, child." Elsie assured her. "Now, I think Mrs. Patmore wanted you to start on tonight's savory."

The girl bustled out of the butler's pantry leaving the butler and housekeeper with plenty to think about. Before they could discuss this new information, Molesley knocked on the door and leaned his head timidly into the pantry.

"Mr. Blake is here, Mr. Carson."

"What?" Carson looked as though Molesley had announced the arrival of Typhoid Mary.

"He's here to offer support during this difficult time for the family."

Elsie rolled her eyes, "He'll be expecting a room and we'll have to add him for lunch. Where does Lady Mary find such 'helpful' men?"

"We'll talk about this later?" Charles confirmed as he made to follow Molesley.

"Most definitely." She nodded.

TBC…